(bi)weekly biz

In this fanfiction, I am retelling the events at the beginning of chapter 8 through Gatsby's perspective. I waited in Daisy's bush for most of the night. Is it wrong to say that I wish something had happened to her? I wanted the big "superhero" moment when I came to save her, but at 4:00 she turned off her light and didn't turn it on again. I went home and rested on the table in my hallway, tired and dejected. Nick showed up just a little while later when he insisted on sitting in the drawing room with the French windows open. It was then that I told him about my true past. My unpleasant, embarrassing history. I don't know why I felt like talking - maybe it was the tiredness - but I couldn't stop. Nick has always been a great listener, and I am eternally grateful for him. I tell him about my relationship with Daisy, Dan Cody, the war, and everything else.  By the time I finished, it was dawn and we began opening all the other windows in the house, turning ...

Starting in the 1920s, people became obsessed with wealth and keeping up with new trends and fashions. Today, the same phenomenon occurs in the American middle/upper class. In my own life, I am constantly pressured to buy the newest shoes, the trendiest clothes, and the latest accessories in order to stay relevant. However, I think that it is time for this to change, particularly because of its environmental and ethical implications. Fast fashion is defined as cheap clothes that can be produced in bulk quickly in order to meet consumer demand. In the fashion industry, styles and trends are constantly changing due to celebrity influence, social media, and fashion shows. This leads to stores quickly disposing of perfectly sufficient clothing in favor of making the most money. The fashion industry is one of the world's biggest polluters, creating 92 million tons of garbage every year, further advancing the world's climate crisis. Not only has fast fashion affected the world on a...

As we start reading a new book, we are often introduced to the characters, setting, and conflicts. As we learn about the characters in The Great Gatsby, I thought I would share more about myself. My ethnicity is more complicated than most would think. Especially due to the large Indian American population at Troy High, many assume that I fall into that category as well. However, my maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States in the early '70s from Afghanistan. My paternal grandfather was born in Iran, but my paternal grandmother's place of birth is much more complicated. My grandmother was born in India a couple of months before the Partition. As she is a Sikh, her family was forced to travel across the border and leave behind all of their belongings in Pakistan. She grew up in India (although she was born in present-day Pakistan). My mother grew up in Buffalo, NY and my father, born in Houston, TX, grew up in New Orleans, LA.  This diverse background and unique exper...

In nature, there are the "Jeff Bezoses" (the exploitative bosses), but there are also the critters who help others. Well, they help themselves in the process, so they are influenced by positive interactions. This means that either both organisms benefit, or just one. These interactions are the best - neither species is harmed and the animal kingdom can finally live in harmony. These engagements are either mutualism or commensalism and can affect the mix of species found in natural communities.  Mutualism is the best interaction on the list; it means that both groups benefit from each other. Even in our own bodies, there are trillions of bacteria swimming around in our guts that help break down the juicy hamburger that we ate the night before. They stop us from getting super bloated and they get some much-needed nutrients. Bees land on flowers to drink sweet nectar but also inadvertently pollinate other blossoms in the process, benefiting themselves, but also keeping vital pla...